I am the Sparrow
by PianoGirl5
Summary: Everything has led up to this. The most important task of my life. There is no room for failure. There is no excuse for weakness. But I can do it. I am the Sparrow.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I've been on Fanfiction, but I got this idea while in the shower the other morning and I had to write it! Sorry the first chapter is so short, but think of it more as a prologue than a whole chapter. Don't worry, the chapters will be much longer than this. Please tell me what you think!**

**Summary: Everything has lead up to this. The most important task of my life. There is no room for failure. There is no excuse for weakness. But I know I can do it. I am the Sparrow. **

Chapter 1: Prologue

This mission is simple. Go in, get the information, get out. Easy. I've done it a million times. Yet the words still go through my head: There is no room for failure. There is no excuse for weakness. One mistake could cost you your life.

They say this is the last step, the last easy one. The final assignment before the big one. The biggest one of all. The most important task of my life. There is no room for failure. There is no excuse for weakness.

But I can do it. It's what I've worked for. What I've trained for. Everything I've done has been in preparation for this. It will not be simple. It takes time. It requires lies, false trust, theft, maybe murder. But I can do it.

I am deceit. I am persuasion. I am skill. I am the spy. I am the assassin.

I am the Sparrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If you haven't already guessed that I am JK Rowling in disguise, I am. Not. Therefore, it's all her's. Not mine. Minus the plot and the main character :)**

**AN: Here goes Chapter two!**

Chapter 2: The Task

_A man sits on a red-checkered picnic blanket,, stroking the golden hair of his lovely wife. She looks up at him and smiles, resting her head on his chest. The light breeze ruffles the light brown hair of the husband, and the wife, smiling, pats it back down gently. _

_A little girl laughs as she chases a small white butterfly. Her short, blonde hair bounces as her tiny feet toddle after the insect. I follow her, watching her every movement. She reaches up to grab the butterfly, but loses her balance and topples over. Her pretty, blue dress gets covered in dirt as she tries to get up, a small cry coming from her lips. Slowly, she turns her head to face me and..._

* * *

I bolt upright, panting. Sweat covers my every surface as I try to get my bearings. I hear the chirping of crickets outside my small window; the first shafts of the morning light creeping their way into the small room. I take a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts. The dream again. The same dream, haunting my slumber. Each time, I get closer and closer to seeing the face of the child before I wake. I'm afraid of the little girl's face. How will she react when she sees me? Can she see me? What does it all mean?

I shake these thoughts from my head. I don't have time to waste time on the stupid dream. I walk to the window and look out at the meadow surrounding me. I can see the dew drops on every flower as the world awakens to the new day.

Judging be the sun, I figure it's about half five. Although I'm sure no one else is yet awake, I take out a new set of clothes and change, readying myself for the day to come. I try to stretch, but my muscles are tight and sore from last night's assignment. Though I shouldn't be, I feel physically drained.

I check the mirror, the only thing on the barren, faded walls of the room, to make sure I have everything. My blonde hair is braided back to stay out of the way, and my face is clear of all make up left over from the night before. As I turn, I catch a glimpse of my necklace around my neck, as well as a long scar, going from the lobe of my ear to my collar bone. I wince at the sight of it. Though it's been there for years, it still looks ugly.

As I walk down the old, creaky stairs, I find her already up and at the table, scowling over today's issue of the Daily Prophet.

"Get packed." she says, looking up at me, her dark eyes, checking over me, making sure I did everything to her liking. "We're leaving."

* * *

We travel all day, going by apparition, Floo, and flying. It's slow, but we must be careful. It would be _tedious_ to fix the problem if anyone were to see us. Well, it would be bad for her, She not exactly well-liked by the majority of the Wizarding world. It wouldn't matter for me. Most people don't know I exist.

We finally reach our destination, the large manor rising ahead of us like a dark, ominous storm cloud. We walk straight through the gates, the decorative iron dissolving like smoke. My fingers tingle with nervousness as we head up the long, winding flight of stairs up to the meeting place. Will he be pleased? Will I finally get my big assignment?

"Ah, you're here. We were about to start without you," his smooth, terrifying voice fills the room, commanding silence and respect. He gestures to the two empty chairs at his left and we sit, our eyes down and our ears open.

"What news, little bird?" he asks me. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stick straight as I try to give him my answer without trembling. Normally, he doesn't frighten me in the slightest, but today is different.

"They will be set loose this evening, and will hopefully make it to Surrey by nightfall. The woman, Dolores Umbridge, will be responsible for the action, as well as getting them back to Azkaban when the task is done." My voice cracks slightly but gains confidence as I continue to speak.

"Good. And of the other?"

"As for now, he seems unable to find someone who will take the position. If he is still unable within a fortnight, the Minister will have to appoint someone. He is considering currently considering Albert Runcorn as the candidate."

"No, it must be the woman. It must be Dolores Umbridge."

"I can go and make him change his mind, Sir."

"No, not you this time, although you would do it best. I need you for something different. But, I do believe this would be a fine task for little Draco, don't you, Lucius?"

"But Sir, he is so young, he is not yet admitted...," Lucius stuttered.

"Then it shall be his first task, his initiation. Draco, you will go the the Ministry and inform the Minister of his candidate, Dolores Umbridge."

"Yes, Sir," Draco says, staring at the table. I smirk as I recognize fear in the young Malfoy's eyes. Oh, Draco, don't worry, I think. This is only the beginning. Only one easy trip to the Ministry. Simple.

"As for you," he says, once again turning his attention to me. "You have served me well. I now have a task for you bigger than any other. If you succeed, you will be rewarded beyond what you can think. But if you fail..." His demon-like eyes connect with my brown ones, and I feel him try to pry into my mind.

"I understand, Sir." I say without breaking his stare.

"You are to go to Hogwarts, Sparrow. There you will find a boy by the name of Harry Potter. I believe you've heard of him?"

Around me, several laugh or mutter curses at the boy under their breath. I remain stone faced.

"You will make friends with the boy, study him, make him trust you. Then, when the time is right, you will hand him over to me. You must not harm him in any way, for only I must kill Harry Potter. You have until the end of the school year to complete this task. Understood?"

I feel my heart races as I seal my fate with four words.

"It will be done."

* * *

**AN: Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

**AN: Here goes Chapter 3! Don't forget to review!**

Chapter 3: Introductions

Well, I wanted a big assignment, so I ended up with the hugest one of all. Deliver Harry Potter. So many had tried. Almost all had failed. But yet, I wasn't nervous. I wasn't nervous when my "mother" took me to go see Dumbledore to arrangement my transfer to Hogwarts. I wasn't nervous when I had to go to Diagon Alley by myself to get my supplies. I wasn't even nervous when I saw Harry with his friends looking at a broom as I walked out of the Apothecary.

The only thing that really made me nervous was her. Something she said to me.

"There is no room for failure. There is no excuse for weakness. Understand, little Sparrow? You fail, and you'll die."

She had said it with meaning. She gave me an ultimatum. And she scared the heck out of me.

I know I shouldn't be scared of her. Not still. She's trained me, "raised" me (if you can even call it that), lived with me, but she was the one person I can never get out of my head.

Bellatrix Lestrange still scares me.

Now, as I walk through Kings Cross Station, Bellatrix's hand on my shoulder, Polyjuiced to look like some Muggle we found on the way here, her words repeat in my ears.

'There is no room for failure. There is no excuse for weakness.'

She "helps" me through the barrier (it's really more of a shove), then turns me around to face her.

"Remember my words. Remember my training. I've trained you to be the elite, the best out there. Now go, Sparrow."

Well, I guess that's as close to an "I'm proud of you" as I'll ever get. I pick up my trunk and board the Hogwarts Express.

* * *

The moment I step on the train, my mind goes into mission mode. I immediately see that within this car, there are eighteen compartments: thirteen full, four partially full, and one empty. I decide it would be better to meet up with Harry Potter after the train leaves rather than before, so I go to the empty compartment and set all my stuff down.

I take a deep breath and focus on my plan of attack. Step One: Find his compartment. Step Two: Sit with them. Step 3: Talk to them? That sounds like the most amateur plan ever, but this mission will take time. Time I hate taking. I like things quick and to the point. But this assignment doesn't work that way.

I'm about to slide out to find the targets when someone else slides in: Draco Malfoy. My jaw involuntarily sets. This boy has no sense! He should know better than to come to me while I'm on duty! It could blow my cover!

"Hey," He says, his stupid smirk plastered all over his creamy white skin. This boy has driven me nuts since the day I met him. He has not tact whatsoever, nor does he understand even the basics of what I do. And now he's about to reveal me. I swear I'll kill him if he does. Before answering his imbecilic little greeting, I shut and lock the door, lock and cover all windows, and cast a silencing spell over the compartment.

"What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?" I whisper tensely.

"I wanted to tell you about my first mission," he said, the smirk returning. He thinks he's going to impress me. That would be half cute if it wasn't so pathetic!

"Too bad, Malfoy. I don't have time to listen to it." I start to walk out, but then I turn to add, "And don't EVER talk to me like we know each other when I'm on a mission!" I grab my bag and start to storm out, but immediately, I put on a small, nervous smile and go back into mission mode. I won't let Malfoy ruin anything.

After walking past several full compartments, I finally reach one with only Harry Potter, a bushy haired girl I recognize as Hermione Granger, and the Weasley.

"Excuse me, could I sit with you?" I ask timidly as the train pulls away from the station. "Everywhere else is full."

Hermione Granger gives a look to the two boys before replying, "Alright."

I give her a small smile, stow my truck above the seat, and sit down next to the Weasley. We all stare at each other awkwardly for a moment before Hermione breaks the silence.

"I've never seen you here before. Are you a first year?"

"Me? Oh no! But I am new. I'm transferring this year." I say as cordially as I can. I try not to appear offended by her question, but do I honestly look like a first year? I'm sixteen for Merlin's sake!

"Oh, that's interesting. Where were you taught before?"

"I was home schooled. But my dad just lost his job, so my mom has to work now also. She just doesn't have the time to teach me. But thankfully Dumbledore was kind enough to let me come here," I say smoothly, perfectly reciting the story I'd rehearsed.

"Oh, I'm sorry about you father. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way." she says with a smile.

"Rowal Weazey" says the redhead, his mouth full of Chocolate Frog. I notice Hermione roll her eyes and make a look of disgust.

"Harry Potter," the last boy says, outstretching his hand.

I shake his hand firmly, saying, "I'm Elizabeth." The name comes out my mouth so smoothly, it could have really been my name. But I have no name. I am invisible to the world. I am only known by my mission.

"My name is Elizabeth Sparrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying my story! I won't be posting again for at least a wek and a half becuase I'm going on two consecutive vacations and can't take my computer. Feel free to LEAVE ME A REVIEW and I'll reply ASAP. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Have you all been confunded? Otherwise I'm pretty sure you'd know by now that I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own HP!**

Chapter 4: The Sorting Hat

We finally reach Hogwarts. I can't see the castle from the Hogsmeade station, but I envision it to be a large, old-looking building with several towers and lights in the windows. A little too welcoming for my personal taste.

We climb out of the train car and into the sea of students. I see a beacon of light and hear a gruff voice calling "Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!"

Hermione grabs my arm, pulling me along as we snake through the many students. Soon, we reach a long line of carriages pulled by... thestrals? This place is getting weirder by the minute.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I all sit together in one carriage, which starts heading toward the castle as soon as we were all seated.

"If you were a first year, you would go to Hogwarts by boat with Hagrid, the groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor, but for now, you can stick with us. All the other students take the carriages." Hermione explains.

"Why are your carriages pulled by thestrals?" I ask, curiously glancing behind my back to catch another glimpse of the strange beasts.

"Pulled by what? The carriages pull themselves, like always." Ron says, giving my a strange look.

"No, Ron, there is definitely something pulling this carriage. Can't you see it?"

"No...," he says, turning to stare at what he saw as an empty space in front of the carriage. "Can you see it, mate?" he asks Harry.

"Wait a second... I can! Those things are weird! Since when have they been there?"

"I don't know. I don't see anything, Harry," Hermione replies, just as confused as Ron.

"How can you not see them? They're right there!" Harry says, standing up and pointing straight at them. Ron and Hermione look more and more confused.

"Harry, there's nothing there. Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Hermione asked, placing her hand tenderly on his shoulder. He brushes it away quickly.

"Yes, Hermione, I'm fine! And I'm not the only one who can see them! Elizabeth can, too!" Harry sighs angrily, running his hands through his messy black hair.

"Ron, Hermione, I don't know why you can't see them, but there are definitely thestrals pulling this carriage. Harry and I aren't crazy. Besides, we're almost there. Look!" I say, pointing toward the huge building we are approaching. It is larger than I'd imagined, but still warmly lit and welcoming. We quickly hop out and head through some of the largest double doors I've ever seen.

Inside, the castle is warm. The old stone walls are covered from floor to ceiling with paintings. Moving, talking paintings. I've only seen one other painting that could move, in the Malfoy's manor. There are so many here. I make a small turn, trying to total them all up in my head, but there are too many to count!

"C'mon! We'll be late for the feast!" Harry cries, pulling me away from the paintings and into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall is huge: four long tables are set across the room, a crested banner hanging above each one. Another table is set at the head of the room, filled with all the professors. Hundreds of candles levitate up above, giving the room an inviting glow. The ceiling seems to be filled with stars.

"Miss Sparrow!" I hear a shrill voice call. I turn to see an older woman, hair back in a tight bun, horn-rimmed glasses on the tip of her nose, dressed in long, dark green robes.

"Miss Sparrow, I am Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House and professor of Transfiguration, as well as Deputy Headmistress. Please wait with me while the rest of the students arrive. Then, we'll sort you before we sort the first years," she says cordially.

We stand in the corner and watch as the rest of the students finally file in. My mind is on the Sorting Hat the whole time. The beginning event may prove to be on of the most challenging of my entire assignment. In order to be successful in my mission, I need to be placed in Gryffindor, but naturally, I would be a Slytherin. I mean, deceitful and cunning are practically my middle names. So, I have to trick it. Which is nearly impossible. I should be able to manage it by placing all my memories associated with bravery and honesty, the good guy stuff, at the front of my mind, where the Sorting Hat can easily see it, and locking the bad stuff away using Occlumency. I don't have too many good memories, but I've created some specifically for Elizabeth using a rather complicated spell and a stolen Penseive. Now, I can only hope that it works. If I'm put in Slytherin, or even Ravenclaw of Hufflepuff, my mission will be hugely compromised if not failed. The result of this mission rests solely on my abilities and the Sorting Hat.

I listen as Dumbledore welcomes the students and makes some routine announcements. He introduces the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Dolores Umbridge. I guess Draco succeeded in his mission, I think. I would kind of like the woman if she wasn't so darn smiley all the time. That stupid giggle of hers makes me want to hurl. He then introduces me, appropriately explaining my situation. Then Professor McGonagall leads me to the front of the Hall, sits me on a wooden stool, and places the Sorting Hat on my head.

"Hmm..."the Hat says. I hope no one else could hear it. "That's interesting... I see the courage, but I sense something else...hmm...something I can't get to..."

I concentrate on the happy memories, hoping my Occlumency skills pay off. Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin, I chant silently in my head. Maybe that will help it's decision.

"Not Slytherin...hmm...OK then...must be... GRYFFINDOR!"it cries. The Gryffindor table erupts into cheering. I smile as I see Harry, Ron, and Hermione clapping loudly, giving the occasional whoop of excitement. I carefully take the Hat off my head and place it back on the stool. I give it a little smirk as if to say, 'got you this time!' before heading to the happy table.

As I sit down next to Ron, I notice the Gryffindor crest appear magically on my robes. I smirk to myself, relieved that I have succeeded. Now, the mission would be smooth sailing. Getting these Gryffindor fruit cakes to trust me would be all too simple.


End file.
